Hello and welcome to issue number two of the Massively.com hosted official Champions Online developer blog! If you happened to miss the first one featuring Jack Emmert, you can find it right here. Remember, we should be seeing a developer post about twice a month between now and launch day. So if you're interested in following the insights straight from the team make sure to follow our very own Champions Developer blogger, who will be doing the honors of posting your bi-weekly dose of DevBlog goodness.

Today Bill Roper lays down some details on how Cryptic Studios is enabling a deeper sense of story in Champions Online. It's all pretty interesting stuff, and you can check it out after the cut!
MMOre Story, please!

A huge component of our favorite comics is the rich and involved storylines, both on a personal level, and on a global scale. Our fans have made it clear that they want this in the game, so with Champions Online, we're endeavoring to bring forth that sense of story in several ways.

We build off the premise that Earth's first and best line of defense is its heroes. For generations, brave men and women have answered the call to protect the world from the villains who threaten its safety and security. Led by The Champions, protectors of Millennium City, the world's heroes have launched a crusade for peace, security and justice. And that's where you come in!

Overarching Storylines

There are six different "overplots" that are intertwined throughout the game, reaching across all of the different regions. Organizations such as VIPER, ARGENT and PSI use both superpowers and super-technology in their dastardly plots to control the world. Creatures from outer space and other dimensions seek to enslave humanity. The dread Takofanes wields dark magic of unspeakable power. The super-scientist Teleios is creating an army of clones and constructs to do his bidding, while the robot Mechanon makes plans to cleanse the planet of all organic life. And the greatest threat of all is Doctor Destroyer – a superhuman genius who will not stop until all of humanity bends their knee to his greatness.

Details and plot twists abound as more and more information is uncovered. The players experience sections of these plotlines as they move through the missions and regions across the globe, making these over-arching storylines complex and engaging.

Knowledge Perks

There are hundreds of perks to discover, unlock, accomplish, and earn in the game. An entire genre of these perks fall into learning more about the lore of the Champions universe. Not only do players get rewards for completing these perks, they also uncover more storyline and world knowledge about the villainous groups and super-powered enemies they must face.

Nemesis

Every great hero has a gallery of enemies that seem destined to work towards their downfall. In Champions Online, the player gets to create those nefarious villains using the Nemesis system. After creation, the nemesis starts showing up in the world, putting challenges in front of the hero until they face off in a showdown. Of course, defeating an enemy of this caliber comes with its own special rewards...

The World Reacts

There are different parts of the world where the actions of heroes have a visible impact on the environment around them. For example, when you work to keep gang crime down in Westside, you'll see the streets start to get cleaned up. Players will even see this concept reflected in the very beginning of the game when new heroes help face down an epic threat to Millennium city.

Villainous Dialogue

We're fortunate to have some incredibly talented writers and voice actors on the project, and on e of the areas we're putting special attention into right now is making fights against signature villains in the world even more memorable by giving them voice. The taunts, threats, and lamentations of your enemies will be heard as well as seen – and some of these have deeper ramifications than just being flavorful.

All in all, every element of Champions Online strives to bring the appeal of four-color comics to the MMO space. Se you online, heroes!